by Hank Madison
“You hell-cat!” the kicked man declared, grasping her around the waist and hauling her clear of her saddle. “Hell, if I won’t teach you some manners! You and that high-minded brother of yours think you’re too damn good for the likes of me. Well I’ve got a mind to teach you a thing or two.”
“Knock it off, Buster,” the other snapped. “Just keep your mind on business. Aggie, you listen to me good. I want you to give a message to your brother. Tell him I need to see him. It’s important. He’s got something that belongs to us and we want it back.”
Harlan didn’t need an explanation to set him straight on that. It was obvious that Will Payne had got in first at the herd. Carter had made a play for the passage money, and failed to get it because Sim Horn had been too smart for him, so the crook must have decided to hit the herd, only to find that Will Payne had beaten him to it.
“Will has gone into Dodge,” the girl snapped, struggling to free herself from Craig’s strong grip. “Let me go. You’ll be sorry for this when Will does get back. He’s finished with your kind. He’s got some sense at last.”
Both men laughed harshly, and the girl swung her hand again. Harlan could see that she was livid, almost beside herself in anger. The two men seized hold of her, making her helpless. Then one of them bent his head to kiss her, and Harlan started to his feet. Anger was spurting through him. He would rather have let these two go so he could follow them, but this treatment of the girl could not be tolerated. He clenched his teeth and he started over the crest with his gun in his hand.
“Hold it right there,” he rasped hoarsely, his finger trembling on the trigger. “Throw up your hands, the pair of you.”
FIVE
A shocked silence followed Harlan’s sudden appearance. The girl stared at him as if seeing a ghost, and the two men dropped their hands from her and stood frozen in surprise. Harlan went towards them, gun steady in his hand, and the expression on his face warned them that he was in deadly earnest.
“Get your hands up, you scum,” he snapped. “Make it quick before I start shooting.”
The two men raised their hands without hesitation. Harlan closed on them, trembling with anger. The girl stared at him silently, her mouth open and her eyes wide.
“Get away from them,” he ordered, and she moved without realising it. “Now, you two,” he went on. “Get rid of your gunbelts one at a time. You first.” He pointed to the tall figure of Clant Carter. The man was broad-shouldered and heavily built, with sharp features that were showing sullen hatred. He was trying to recover from his shock and surprise, and Harlan could see at a glance that if he gave this man any kind of a chance it would be taken. “Lower your hands and loosen off your gun-belt,” he snapped. “Do it slow or I’ll start shooting.” He glanced at the other man, who was similarly built, with wide shoulders and a lean waist. Both these men looked what they were, saddle-wolves who had no scruples or principles.
“You’re butting in on something that ain’t your business,” Carter snarled. “We didn’t hit your herd.”
“Yeah, but what about the money-belt you stole from my trail boss?” Harlan tightened his lips. He held his gun steady, the muzzle covering both men. He could see a glitter in their narrowed eyes, and was hair-triggered to start shooting at the slightest move on their parts.
“You know there was nothing in that belt,” Carter exploded angrily. “For honest men, you and that trail boss of yours sure have crooked minds. Even I wouldn’t have thought up a mean trick like that one.”
“Get your gunbelt off,” Harlan repeated. “Don’t make any mistakes while you’re doing it because I’ll kill you without the slightest compunction. You and your kind are lower than snakes, and I’m gonna do a lot about this situation when I get the rest of my herd to Dodge. I’m coming back here to do the job that the law can’t handle.”
Both men chuckled, but they were watchful. Carter lowered his hands to his belt and started slowly to unbuckle it. He took as long as he could over the chore, and there was a faint grin on his lips. Harlan watched him like a hawk, ready to start action, but the keen, almost eager expression on his face was too much even for Clant Carter. The man dropped his belt and stepped back from it.
“Now you,” Harlan said to Buster Craig, and drew a quick breath. The gunman shrugged, and began to unbuckle his belt. He was smiling, his eyes fixed upon Harlan in an unblinking stare, but Harlan caught the slight flicker in their dark depths as the man’s belt started to fall, and the next instant Craig was snatching his Colt from the falling holster.
The girl cried out in sudden alarm, and the sound of her voice was drowned by the crash of Harlan’s six-gun. The weapon jumped in his hand and Buster Craig uttered a choking cry and clutched at his chest. He dropped heavily to his knees, remained still for a moment, staring up at Harlan with wide, surprised eyes. His mouth worked convulsively. Then his eyes blanked and he pitched forward upon his face. The echoes of the shot grumbled away into the distance.
Clant Carter took a quick step forward to dive for his gun, but Harlan recocked the Colt and turned the muzzle to the outlaw.
“Do you want to die too?” he demanded harshly. “If so then go ahead and made a play for it.”
Carter shrugged and straightened. He did not look at his dead pard. Harlan drew a quick breath. He did not take his eyes off the outlaw. He spoke sharply to the girl. “I don’t know what you were doing here,” he said, “but I advise you to get back on your horse and head for home.”
“What are you going to do?” she demanded, and there was worry in her tone.
“I’ll take this guy and his dead pard into the nearest town and hand them over to the law,” Harlan told her. “Just tell me which way to ride.”
“Black Creek is the nearest, but the sheriff won’t be there today,” she replied. “He went on to Doberman’s Post last night.”
“There’s nothing he can do there except bury the dead,” Harlan told her. “There must be a deputy in Black Creek. I want to get Carter behind bars where he belongs.”
“You’re making a big mistake,” Carter snarled, his face showing fury. “I’m a big man in this country.”
“You’ll be a dead man if you don’t button your lip,” Harlan told him. “Climb up into your saddle, and don’t try anything. I’m gonna tie you in place, and I’m warning you again that if you try anything I’ll kill you sure as hell.”
“I get the message,” Carter replied, glancing at his dead pard. “Okay, so you want to waste your time taking me into town.” He laughed harshly. “I’ll go along for the ride.”
“You’ve got no option,” Harlan snapped. “Now shut your mouth and get mounted.”
He moved in as the outlaw obeyed, and when the man was in his saddle, Harlan handed his gun to the girl, telling her to shoot if Carter tried to move. He removed the rope from the man’s saddlehorn and bound Carter securely to his saddle. Then he heaved the corpse across the saddle of the other horse and roped that in place.
“Now we’re ready to move out,” he said with some satisfaction. He glanced at the girl. “Which way do I go?”
“I’ll ride along with you,” she told him worriedly. “But you’ll be wasting your time. Don’t you understand that Carter will be out of the jail before you can get out of the town?”
“Then I’ll be coming for you, mister,” the outlaw promised. “I told you I’m the big man in this country. You’re gonna regret this incident when I come up with you again.”
“You may never live to see the inside of a jail,” Harlan told him. “Just shut your mouth and you’ll have an even chance of making it.” He glanced at the girl. “My horse is just the other side of that ridge. Get mounted and fetch it for me.”
She did as she was bidden, and, when she returned with his horse, Harlan climbed aboard.
“Okay,” he said. “Tell me which way I go. Then you better head for home. In future you should take along some company when you go riding. This country ain’t fit for women or children
.”
“Listen to the big, tough Texas cowpuncher,” Clant Carter jeered. “But you’re gonna sing mighty small, mister, when I get the upper hand.”
Harlan smiled grimly and took up the lead rope on Carter’s horse. He had tied the dead man’s horse to Carter’s with a piece of rope, and when he started out the two animals followed him. The girl rode in alongside him, and Harlan studied her concerned face for a moment.
“I told you what to do,” he said tiredly. “Just tell me which way to go, then get out of here.”
“I’ll go along for the ride,” she replied. “I’ll take you into town. It’s about eight miles.”
“You’re gonna feel mighty sorry for yourself when word gets around,” Carter said at his back. The outlaw’s legs were tied together by a rope that passed under the belly of his horse. His hands were lashed to the saddlehorn.
“I shan’t tell you again to keep your mouth shut,” Harlan snapped, rounding on the outlaw.
“Don’t you want to know who rustled that herd of yours?” Carter demanded. “Ask her about her brother.”
“What are you talking about?” Aggie Payne demanded, twisting in her saddle. Harlan glanced at her face, taking in the fear and worry showing plainly in every line of countenance. He shook his head as he dropped back beside Carter.
“Listen to me,” he said softly. “You can ride in as you are or finish the trip face down and with a lump on your head. It’s up to you, only I ain’t gonna tell you again to shut up.”
“What’s he talking about?” the girl demanded. “He’s hinting at something.”
“You should know,” Carter replied. “You know Will took part in a coach hold-up last year. The sheriff is still trying to find those robbers.”
“Are you trying to say that Will was mixed up in this rustling?” There was a tension in the girl’s voice that grated on Harlan’s ears. He turned angrily on the outlaw, but she put out a hand and touched his sleeve.
“Let him talk,” she said wearily. “I know what he’s trying to say, but I don’t believe him. My brother took the outfit and herded some of our cattle to Dodge. I’m expecting him back inside of a week.”
“What cattle?” Carter demanded. “You ain’t got no cattle left. Will sold out the last months ago. He’s been bluffing you all along the line. You’re broke, and you damn well know it.”
Tears came to the girl’s eyes, and Harlan turned on the outlaw, swinging his right fist. His heavy knuckles connected with Carter’s jaw, and the outlaw grunted and slumped against the rope binding him. He lolled in his saddle, out of his senses. Harlan stared at the man for a moment, then turned back to the girl. She was trying to prevent herself crying, but without much success. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and then she raised her hands to cover her face and her shoulders shook spasmodically.
Harlan watched her for a moment, helpless, but his heart was filled with emotion. He sighed heavily, wishing that he had never set foot in this part of the country. It had been his idea to come along with the herd, to learn the whole ranching business from the bottom up. Now he was in the biggest tangle of his life, and he couldn’t see an easy way out. He put out a hand and patted the girl’s shoulder, and she lifted her head and tried to dry her eyes.
“I don’t know what kind of troubles you’ve got,” he said awkwardly, “but they can’t be as bad as all that.”
“I guess you’ve gathered what it’s all about from what Carter said,” she said.
“If it’ll help you, I’ll listen while you talk. It might do you good to air it all.”
“There’s nothing to tell.” She caught her breath. “My father left me and Will well provided for when he died, but Will changed from a good, honest, hardworking youngster into a thief, a liar and a cheat. I don’t believe that he took part in that coach hold-up last year, but I know he’s been gambling in town, and selling some of our stock whenever he’s been short of cash. Carter used to work for us, until we found out that Grove planted him on us. Then he went back to Grove’s gang. But when the law began to close in on Grove, Carter broke away from the gang and formed his own band. Ever since then our lives haven’t been worth living.”
Harlan thrust out his bottom lip as he listened. So Carter had been planted on the girl’s place as an undercover man for Grove. Now the outlaw had his own rival gang, and Grove still had a man on the spread in Wiley Shaw. That showed just how determined Grove was to get hold of the Payne ranch. Harlan didn’t like the way things were stacking up, and, looking at the girl, taking in her tearstained face and obvious distress, he felt his anger rise against these men who had set themselves up above the law to terrorise the whole county. But what could he do about it? Especially if her brother was mixed up in it! Anything he did would only bring her brother to justice. He sighed in frustration.
Harlan had always been brought up to respect the law, but he could not help wondering just what kind of a lawman Sheriff Lott was. Carter had boasted that he was a big man in this country, that he would be out of jail before Harlan hardly had time to put him there. If the law was on the side of the bad man then nothing he could do would alleviate the situation. He would only succeed in getting himself and the rest of his outfit killed.
They rode on in silence for a time, and the outlaw regained his senses and started groaning. Harlan twisted in his saddle and studied the man, deciding that he was not in need of attention. This outlaw and his kind deserved all they got.
Black Creek appeared out of the ground, and as they drew nearer to the little cowtown Harlan stared around with interest. There was only one street, and he reckoned there couldn’t be more than a hundred buildings in the cluster that sprawled along either side of the trail. The sun was going down as they entered the street, and the girl pointed out the sheriff’s office. There were several men on the street, sitting under awnings, smoking and catching the last of the sun’s light. A lantern was already glimmering outside a big saloon, and opposite the gawdy building stood the sheriff’s office and jail.
Harlan sighed as he dismounted. Men were already converging upon the law office, and he wondered if Carter had any friends around here. He dropped a hand to his gun and eased the weapon in its holster. He didn’t intend to let anyone take the crook away from him. But the townsmen were silent as they watched him free Carter from his bonds. The outlaw climbed stiffly from his saddle and stepped into the law office, and Harlan followed quickly. The girl came in behind, and closed the door against the now clamouring crowd.
There was an old man seated at the sheriff’s desk, with a deputy badge pinned to his shirt. He got slowly to his feet when they entered, and his mouth gaped when he recognised Carter.
“What are you doing with him?” he demanded, coming around the desk.
“I’m handing him over to you,” Harlan told him. He was holding his gun on Carter. “Put him behind bars and keep him there. I’ll swear out a complaint against him. He held me up at gunpoint the night before last at Doberman’s Post and stole a money belt from my trail boss.”
“That’s a lie,” Carter said quickly. “Where’s the sheriff, Charlie?”
Harlan was surprised that this outlaw was on first-name terms with the deputy sheriff, but he had been warned by the girl, he recalled. He tightened his lips. This seemed to be the answer why such crookedness was rife in this country.
“Lock him up, Deputy,” he snapped. “He stays in jail until the sheriff gets back, and I’ll be around to see him.”
“You won’t be around anywhere when word of this gets out,” Carter told him roughly. “I’ve got a lot of friends in this country.”
“So it seems,” Harlan replied. “But a thief will be punished in any county.”
“Just stick around and find out,” Carter told him. “You’re gonna collect something for beefing Buster Craig. Craig’s pard Russ Filby owns the big saloon opposite. Was I in your boots, I’d get out of this country before Filby finds out.”
“Nobody runs me out,” Harlan sai
d doggedly. “I’m an honest man and I’ll fight crookedness when I come up against it. I ain’t gonna forget that my trail boss was shot down in cold blood at Doberman’s Post two nights ago, and I had a couple of men killed during the stampede. This county hasn’t heard the last of that, I can tell you.”
“I’d better lock you up, Clant,” the deputy said reluctantly. “If this jigger is making out a complaint against you then the sheriff better find you in a cell when he gets back.”
“He’ll be in a cell or dead,” Harlan said harshly. “If I see him around before I pull out I’ll go gunning for him.”
“You won’t have to look far,” Carter promised, his dark eyes glinting. “Just wait until I get my hand on a gun again.”
“I gave you the chance to pick one up,” Harlan reminded him. “You didn’t feel like it then.”
He stood in the office while the deputy took the outlaw through into the cell block, and when the lawman came back alone he approached the man.
“What kind of law do you run around here?” he demanded. “I bring in an outlaw and you don’t know whether to lock him up or not.”
“I ain’t the boss lawman around here,” the man replied. “You better have a word with the sheriff when he gets back. I just carry out orders.”
“I’d like to know exactly what those orders are,” Harlan pursued.
“That ain’t none of your concern,” the deputy replied.
“I don’t wonder why this country is in such a bad state,” Harlan went on. “But I aim to leave my mark upon it before I ride back to Texas.”
“If you don’t get back into your saddle and start heading out right away then you’ll never leave it,” Aggie Payne told him softly. “Please do as I ask and leave now. I want to ride back to my place immediately, but I daren’t make the trip alone. Will you go with me?”
“Sure.” There was no hesitation in Harlan. Now that he had put the outlaw behind bars his part of it was done. He didn’t care what happened to the man now. He supposed that the deputy would turn him loose right away. But Clant Carter didn’t enter into things yet. The only men Harlan wanted to deal with were Will Payne and Jem Grove. He also wanted to have a talk with Wiley Shaw, and decided to handle that little chore first. He would take the girl back to her place and put the heat on Shaw. If he could find out where Will Payne was hiding out with the herd he could get his crew and start in for a showdown.